XP Discontinued Support

[Dax]

After seeing constant news coverage of this total non-story, I thought I'd give my opinion on this load of sensationalist, fear-mongering crap as a professional IT consultant and ex-hacker.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26884167

Unless you take the piss with what you search and surf, you're still safe as houses with a decent antivirus, firewall, and some good old fashioned caution.

Don't listen to the media hyping up the security threats - Security only fails when you, the user, fails to use caution. So for example if you like looking at efukt, BitCoin transaction websites, any/all pornography, amateur torrenting (ie you don't have a clue what torrenting is, you just use it to download that nice new episode of a TV show you like), and other shall we say 'questionable' websites - You will encounter trouble. If you like your card details and the like to remain yours, then simply avoid these websites entirely or learn to use virtual PC sessions to do all your naughty crap on.

Also: **** Windows 8. It's bollocks. If you're intent on changing, go to 7 Professional.

 

[Iamsmart]

Yeah, Windows 8 sucks.

That's about all I have to contribute to this conversation.

kthhxbai

 

[Garrett2]

actually you are 5x likely to get a virus from a religious website than a porn website. as porn relies on the user to remain profitable.

if you are worried that your porn site might be a scam

then just use the big list of porn for your viewing pleasure. they will direct you to safe sites.

tblop.com

enjoy

 

[Dax]

Real human beings don't go to religious websites, surveys have found.

 

[antisback]

As a web developer, if you're on XP and are using IE7/8 I will come to your house and murder you.

XP is a 13 year old OS if you're still using it then there's something wrong with you. You're better off shoving a build of linux on your box because you'll be able to do just as much if not more and you'll be using something that isn't so old that even though it still has a 30% market share microsoft are dropping support for it.

In terms of upgrade alternatives, if you don't want to spend money the newer builds of linux are pretty excellent. Chromium OS is pretty cool if you don't mind not being able to game. If all you care about is gaming then you want Steam OS. All those are free but if you have to go the windows route, Windows 7 is probably the pinnacle thus far, but expect Windows 9 to be good, Microsoft has ****ed up even versions of windows as far back as i can remember (95,ME,vista,8) but the odd numbered ones have been good, so that might be worth waiting for.

You don't have to be browsing the internet for someone to hack your computer, unless you're on dial up then your computer is effectively a server for the interwebs and can be hacked just as easily as any other server. So if you're on XP and someone unearths a security flaw in it Microsoft will not be sealing that hole it will sit there waiting for someone to exploit it.

Finally you don't have to be on disreputable website to get infected with a virus, there are numerous examples of people getting infected from browsing facebook and twitter. Basically if you're browsing the web it's the same as having sex, if you're doing it unprotected you're rolling the dice. Sure you can stick to safe clean women/men but eventually you will catch something.

 

[edd]

Basically if you're browsing the web it's the same as having sex, if you're doing it unprotected you're rolling the dice. Sure you can stick to safe clean women/men but eventually you will catch something.

What happens if you make the internet pregnant :S

 

[Yeadon]

Basically if you're browsing the web it's the same as having sex, if you're doing it unprotected you're rolling the dice. Sure you can stick to safe clean women/men but eventually you will catch something.

What happens if you make the internet pregnant :S

Then, you will end up with an Interkid.

 

[jamesNchina]

with this you are screwed for a little while no matter

http://heartbleed.com/

 

[Yeadon]

http://www.microsoft.com/security/sir/default.aspx

Windows 7 Professional - Get yourselves there. It's the minimum step to take - At the least.

There's no need to stay with XP.

 

[timtadams]

Can someone PLEASE tell me what the deal is with Windows 8? Why does everyone hate it?

I've been using it for months and the only real difference I notice is the full screen start menu and the corner hovering menus.

Full screen apps suck but it's easy to change file preferences to normal windowed application.

The up button in file explorer has made a welcome return and the start menu corner right click menu is awesome for quick access to system tools.

I know for some people the fact you had to click a corner rather than a button for the start menu was confusing and hard to learn. I saw on a video review on Windows 8 the person actually going to the corner and then moving the mouse pointer back up to the centre of the start menu preview to click it like a button. And they actually did this multiple times and was frustrated because they didn't realise that you are supposed to click in the corner and not the preview. I'm still amazed that an author of a tech site did not realise this after a couple of attempts. I mean I did the same thing but realised what I was doing wrong within 10 seconds. This was not the first time the guy was using the OS either.

While I would expect a tech website to be less retarded I can understand the frustration of the average Joe who night not pick up on this so quickly. However I thought they added the start button back in 8.1, so this shouldn't even be a problem anymore?

Basically a couple gui changes that should take 1min to learn and people are losing their minds?

Maybe I should write an article on how to use windows 8 for Windows 7 uses. It would be 3 paragraphs long, have a gazillion hits and break the internet.

 

[MattM]

Aye, I don't understand the hate that Windows 8 gets either. That said, I never really got why Vista was so maligned...

Partly I think people reckon it's just cool to slate Microsoft products, so they do.

 

[Dax]

There are a LOT of compatibility issues, actually.

That, and otherwise it's exactly the same just with more unnecessary security measures that the majority of home users simply do not need.

The idea is to create an OPERATING SYSTEM. Not a GADGET. Apps are for phones, programs are for computers. A terrible, over-coloured marketing ploy that has belly flopped into the bottomless pit of stupid ideas.

Windows 7 does exactly what I require. XP did (and still does as a mobile O/S). 8 doesn't. It's not unfounded hatred, it's dead simple. When they caved and put the start menu back as it was, it was a symbol of their failure to produce a product that people would LIKE. People often forget that you design these things for your customer base, not a marketing board.

All-in-all: It unnecessarily changes the inherent method of using the Windows system drastically, and for what? There was no benefit. It isn't easier to use the retarded tile system they created. So why? I simply don't understand.

 

[Garrett2]

Aye, I don't understand the hate that Windows 8 gets either. That said, I never really got why Vista was so maligned...

Partly I think people reckon it's just cool to slate Microsoft products, so they do.

the problem with vista was that it needed loads of patches to work properly and supported damn near nothing. most makers of peripherals had no resources or support to redesign the device drivers to work with vista.

microsoft tried to end supporting any 3rd parties and thus was the large cause of vista's revolt.


as for the hate i will quote dax:

All-in-all: It unnecessarily changes the inherent method of using the Windows system drastically, and for what? There was no benefit. It isn't easier to use the retarded tile system they created.

I have 8. it's not terribad, but it's not good either. if i am in tile mode and i open one of their apps, to try and close it simply minimizes it but keeps it open and keeps chugging away at my resources. it takes me a long time to get applications to actually close without using the task manager to end/crash it.

in short they tried to force a market full of desktop users to adopt tablets and tablet interfaces. it's everything a company can do wrong. it's like saying "we know what's good for you. so do this". i can liken it to forcing you to play bush a certain way because that's what i want to see happen.

certainly people are jumping on the 'hate microsoft' bandwagon, but they most assuredly did themselves no favours.

 

[Yeadon]

Windows 7 is much more user friendly.

A lot of people seem to want 8.1 because it is the latest. They like to have the latest version/newest piece of kit.

 

[tobapopalos]

Aye, I don't understand the hate that Windows 8 gets either. That said, I never really got why Vista was so maligned...

Partly I think people reckon it's just cool to slate Microsoft products, so they do.

the problem with vista was that it needed loads of patches to work properly and supported damn near nothing. most makers of peripherals had no resources or support to redesign the device drivers to work with vista.

microsoft tried to end supporting any 3rd parties and thus was the large cause of vista's revolt.


as for the hate i will quote dax:

All-in-all: It unnecessarily changes the inherent method of using the Windows system drastically, and for what? There was no benefit. It isn't easier to use the retarded tile system they created.

I have 8. it's not terribad, but it's not good either. if i am in tile mode and i open one of their apps, to try and close it simply minimizes it but keeps it open and keeps chugging away at my resources. it takes me a long time to get applications to actually close without using the task manager to end/crash it.

in short they tried to force a market full of desktop users to adopt tablets and tablet interfaces. it's everything a company can do wrong. it's like saying "we know what's good for you. so do this". i can liken it to forcing you to play bush a certain way because that's what i want to see happen.

certainly people are jumping on the 'hate microsoft' bandwagon, but they most assuredly did themselves no favours.

The app thing is what I find most annoying about it. Having to switch to desktop, right click, close, is just so ridiculous. What was wrong with having a big old red X in the corner?

DaX nailed it tbh. When you're using it on a PC/laptop it's so awkward. Nothing is as easy or smooth as it should be. There are like 3 steps to doing even the simplest and most common tasks. 7 is vastly superior in my, admittedly non-expert, opinion.

 

[Garrett2]

couldn't agree more.

 

[Dax]

If you're a 'power user' for PC work, then Server 2003/XP/7 are literally the only options available to you. I don't 'Microsoft bash', for the record - I've been a Windows user since 3.1 (technically 3.2, but this comes under the umbrella of 3.1), and I've had extensive experience with every O/S they've released since then. With this also being said, I haven't liked all of them. I like to think I base my opinion on the fact that I'm either right, or I'm saying it knowing it will annoy certain people - Otherwise, I'll remain silent.

I love 7. I didn't like it initially, until I came around to it after about a year or so of seeing how few O/S issues there really were with it when I was only ever doing networking repairs on systems using it (stupid home/office/public networking setting screwing everything up since the dawn of ****ing time). I have my own customised version of XP from ye olde hacking/cracking days, and I still use that as my mobile O/S on my netbook. 8 is unwieldy, and colourful. Disgusting.

 

[Alcibiades]

and ex-hacker.

 

[Dax]

Less fat, more hair, golden gun - KTHX.

 

[drakey]

I've never gotten a virus from a porn site. Then again, I always use the porn list @ http://theporndude.com/ in combination with noscript. I assume it would be kinda hard to get something nasty then.

Can't blame MS wanting people to upgrade. They're not a charity service and want to maximize profit. XP will always have a special place in my heart.